The term osteopenia is applied to a group of disorders characterized by a generalized loss of bone. These disorders include osteoporosis, osteomalacia, osteitis fibrosa cystica and bone loss associated with various malignancies, particularly multiple myeloma.
Osteoporosis, the most prevalent of the bone loss disorders, is a term applied to a heterogeneous group having in common a decreased skeletal mass that is usually associated with bone pain, vertebral compression, and an increased incidence of fractures in certain sites of predilection in the long bones, particularly the femoral neck, upper humerus, and distal radius and ulna. Treatment with estrogens, anabolic hormones, calcium and fluoride is directed toward increased bone deposition and the prevention of bone resorption.